ADAMS-OLIVER VS AMNIOTIC BAND SYNDROME

Special people, like the mentally retarded and the physically disabled, in the olden days, were considered second class citizens who ought to keep out of sight.  Despicable and shameful, they were treated like animals, left to rot in oblivion to live out their lives in misery and suffering.  Whether they are indeed accidents of nature, borne of the scourge of  the gods, or some kind of genetic anomaly, one thing is for certain:  it’s not their fault how they turned out to be.

It has been a long time that I have been messing with the web, but it never occurred to me to seek out people with the same condition, or to even just research about it. Having been born with a congenital defect, at 37 years old, it was just last week that I decided to explore the world where one-half of me is an endemic inhabitant.

Initially, I surfed, read, followed links, to no avail.  My oddity, so to speak, cannot be found. Images, images, images- my eyes watered and I burnt candles for nights-but, nada. The gross and the macabre were in front of me (thank God I only have this kind!);  my heart broke to see worse persons than I am.

Browsing for images yielded no positive result, so I turned to reading until my eyebags got swollen and my eyes bulged like burbots‘.  It’s so elusive- there must be something! What, I’m not even among the categories and types? Later, I realized that I had a hard time because I wasn’t using the right tags.  But how could I, since I myself was at a loss as to what my deformity was called like!

Finally, I got to Adams-Oliver Syndrome and then eventually to Amniotic Band Syndrome.  I could fit in to either of them, but I still need more time to delve deeper.  One fact, though;  whichever syndrome I get to ‘fit in’, I am the only one with this kind of foot defect.  For, NO TWO CASES ARE EVER ALIKE.

Consequently, I will be spending more time learning about my deficiency.  Prior to last week, I’ve never encountered both syndromes before.  I guess I didn’t really give much thought to my defect as much as I should have, in my feeble attempt to ‘belong’ with the masses. Nevertheless, I’m grateful for having had such understanding family and friends to have had the chance to be considered ‘normal’ in spite of what I truly am.

For that, I am very grateful;  and I feel truly blessed.